The selection spans fiction, documentary and animation, highlighting a wide range of cinematic approaches and emerging voices. Among the films chosen are (A)stray, by Marisa Alves Pedro; It's Chico Time!, by João Severo and Rafael Sá Carneiro; Tomorrow's a New Day, by André Lino and Mariana Macedo; Learning to See, by José Freitas; and Credo, Casinos!, by Afonso Reis.

Also featured in the competition are It is what it is, by Jasmijn Kooijman, a co-production between Belgium, Hungary, Portugal, Sweden and the Netherlands; Mocidade, Mocidade, by João Mendes Pinto; o, by Francisca Alarcão, a Portuguese-Spanish co-production; Where FireFlies Sparkle by Maria Clara Vieira; Quelle Soif!, by Francisco João; The Red I Sowed, by Sofia Afonso; Below the Soup, by André Correia; and Time Body Failure, by Rita Costa.

The competition brings together six fiction films, four documentaries and three animated works, reflecting the breadth of contemporary short-form filmmaking. While the programme is predominantly composed of Portuguese productions, it also includes several international co-productions, underscoring the increasingly transnational nature of student films.

The selected films will be screened during the upcoming edition of Curtas Vila do Conde, where they will compete for the festival's awards. The programme reaffirms the festival's role as one of the leading platforms for students' short film exhibition and discovery, both in Portugal and internationally.